Reader hack: fluorescent bulbs
Kimberly at Frugal Playground says:
Do your fluorescent bulbs actually last like they claim? Ours haven’t. We’ve used fluorescent bulbs since we’ve been married (6 years in January!) and in two different residences. We started writing the date with a sharpie on each bulb and saving the receipts with packaging. The box claimed they’d last five years I think it was, and it wasn’t even a year. I don’t know if we got ones that were poorly manufactured or what. I’d recommend saving the packaging and receipt even though it’s annoying because I recently shipped some of ours back to the company and they sent me 2 x $20 coupons to replace the bulbs...
Read the rest of Kimberly's post here
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17 Responses to “Reader hack: fluorescent bulbs”
January 30th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Ours have only lasted about two years (some claimed to work for five years, others claimed to work for ten). We bought different brands from different stores, too. It was a big disappointment. We also didn’t notice much of a change in our electric bill.
January 30th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
I did the exact same thing as Kimberly, and marked my bulbs with a sharpie. I’m currently typing by the light of a CFL marked 2/1/6, so it’s lasted almost exactly 4 years now. I also marked on the bulb “7 years @ avg. 4 hrs.” So far, so good. I believe this is one of the first CFLs we ever installed, and I’ve never had to replace one yet. I should mention that the bulb’s made by Westinghouse, my husband’s employer!
January 31st, 2010 at 7:04 am
Thanks for the information about Westinghouse, much appreciated. I will buy those next time.
I’m wondering if both places we’ve lived have had weird power surges or something?
January 31st, 2010 at 7:44 am
Thanks, awesome tip! I never thought they would backup the claim!
January 31st, 2010 at 8:57 am
I have been reading about EMFs, or electro-magnetic fields produced by CFLs, overhead powerlines, and electric blankets to name just a few sources. Apparently the CFLs cycle on and off very quickly thousands of times per minute and this action can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms in sensitive individuals. I have bipolar disorder and have been more aware of this phenomenon lately and can honestly say I have felt much better since I have eliminated all EMF sources of which I am aware. Even computer screens are a source( this is one I am working on!)Just food for thought. Check it out for yourself on the internet to see if you think this theory has any credibility.
January 31st, 2010 at 11:27 am
Mine have not lasted more than 2 years. I will have to mark them and save the boxes. I will also try Westinghouse!
January 31st, 2010 at 4:08 pm
We bought ours at Sam’s and out of the 14 we installed 2 1/2 years ago only one was replaced. The one that we replaced was used rarely but think it was on the lower level in an area that had a lot of foot traffic above, I wonder if the
vibration causesd some internal damage, just an uneducated guess
I did notice a decrease in our electric bill.
January 31st, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Mine certainly haven’t lasted long. I recently put a new one in a lamp, and when my daughter was visiting, she turned it on, and it sparked out. She was very frightened. When I removed the bulb, it had blackened a good size area where the sparks occured. I was not very happy!
February 1st, 2010 at 9:50 am
I, too, have had many CFL fail sooner than they were “supposed to.” I’ve given up trying to use them in ceiling fan fixtures or the bathroom vanity lights — apparently the bulbs must be in an upright position with no vibration. However, I have had one of the older circle-type CFLs in a table lamp now for over 10 years.
February 1st, 2010 at 11:20 am
How long CFLs last also depends upon how many times you turn it off and on and keep it burning. I had some CLFs burn out more quickly in a bathroom than in the living room where we turn on the light in the evening and keep it burning until bedtime.
Cold might also makes them burn out more quickly and can effect the quality of light. I found out that one the hard way with the bulb in our unheated garage
Still even if I have to change a couple of CFLs one a year instead of 5 or 10 I’m ahead of the game. It seemed like we were always going through traditional bulbs. Not so much with the CFLs.
February 1st, 2010 at 11:41 am
A dimmer switch is also very hard on fluorescent bulbs, significantly shortening the lifespan.
I think remote-control operated ceiling fans work like dimmer switches too, allowing a small amount of current to pulse through the bulb all the time, even when the light is off. Ours constantly flickered while turned off, and consistently burned out within just a couple of months.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:42 pm
My husband was just talking to his lighting guy at work (they manage 50+ senior care campuses) and learned something that we never knew before. He said that when you first install the bulb, you need to let it burn for 5 hours before turning them off again. This significantly increases the life of the bulb.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:55 pm
I installed CFL bulbs in most of the fixtures in my apartment a few years ago, and ended up bringing the majority of them with me when I moved after three years. They are still going in my new apartment. Occasionally one does fail (the most recent one because of user error, I tipped over the lamp), but it’s markedly less than with any incandescent bulb. And since I’m terrible about turning off lights, they’re really useful!
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Good for you for letting them know!
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:54 am
Whatever you do, don’t turn them on and off. They only have so many starts in them. Also, pay the extra cash up front for the good bulbs. My husband works for Sylvania, and we buy their bulbs, for the most part. He did buy a box of bulk bulbs at Walmart a few months ago, and has already had to change out a few, while the Sylvania ones keep burning and burning.
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:50 am
I’ve put em allover my house bought 4 years ago, and they are still ticking – I do have on socket in the house that burns em quickly – resolved to put incandescent in that one. probably something about the wiring. – should probably check into that
March 4th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
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